34 killed in S. Africa miner-police clash

Police opened fire Thursday at the Marikana mine in Rustenburg -- 60 miles northwest of Johannesburg -- during efforts to disperse armed, striking workers who had gathered on a nearby hill, The New York Times reported.

"The South African Police Service was viciously attacked by the group, using a variety of weapons, including firearms," Adriao said. "The police, in order to protect their own lives and in self-defense, were forced to engage the group with force."